Ustyurt Nature Reserve, Nature reserve in Mangystau Province, Kazakhstan
The Ustyurt Nature Reserve is a protected area of republican significance in Karakiya District in western Kazakhstan. The reserve covers part of the Ustyurt Plateau and includes wide desert plains, steppe zones, and sharp rock escarpments rising above the flat terrain.
The protected area was created in 1984 when the Kazakh government began securing endangered species and their habitats after years of intense industrial use in the region. Later expansions brought parts of the migration corridors for saiga antelopes within its boundaries.
The name Ustyurt comes from a Turkic term meaning highland, describing the dry expanses between the Caspian and Aral seas. Kazakh herders still use the edges of the area for grazing sheep and camels, following the same routes their ancestors used.
Access requires a permit in advance and is usually organized through guided tours, as the reserve operates under strict regulations. The best time to visit is spring or autumn, when temperatures are milder and wildlife sightings become more likely.
The white chalk cliffs along the edges of the plateau form long walls rising from the plain, often used as landmarks by travelers. These geological structures formed millions of years ago when the region was still covered by a shallow sea.
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